He took a slashing penalty that resulted in Brad Marchand’s shorthanded penalty shot goal; dropped Chris Kelly with a body check that was ruled interference and resulted in a power-play goal by Dougie Hamilton; and took a flat-footed hooking penalty on Marchand with 2:27 remaining in regulation that could have resulted in the game-winner.

On the flip side, Ovechkin also made three kamikaze rushes at the net, bowling over Tuukka Rask each time, and finishing with 13 attempts at the net -- four on target, four blocked, and five wide of the mark. He also managed three hits, three takeaways and two blocks.

“When he turns it on like that the force that he brings is just incredible,” Oates said. “He took on a big man like that in [6-foot-9 Zdeno] Chara – that’s a huge collision - and he really is the only forward in the league that can do that.”

Through all of that activity, Ovechkin finished the night with one assist and saw his goal-less streak extended to four games. He has not scored since netting a hat trick against the Devils on Feb. 23 and has been the target of biting criticism, especially from analyst Mike Milbury.

Asked about those comments after Tuesday’s game, Ovechkin told Sport-Express reporter Slava Malamud, “I can also voice my opinions about his work as a GM,” referring to Milbury’s time as an executive with the New York Islanders.